‘Intense fire behaviour’ expected as firefighters make progress in evacuated county northwest of Edmonton

More than 100 people have been forced to flee their homes on the outskirts of Whitecourt, Alta., from a nearby fire. CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson reports.

The more than 100 Woodlands County residents forced to evacuate for an out-of-control wildfire in the area are still being kept in a neighbouring Alberta town, as crews work against changing wind conditions.

• Read more: Wildfire evacuation order issued for county northwest of Edmonton

One residence has been destroyed and 123 homes have had power shut off so far due to an ongoing fire southeast of the Town of Whitecourt, officials say.

Although firefighters, aircraft and equipment were making good progress, there was still work to be done and the fire remained out of control, Alberta Wildfire said.

“Today, wind conditions are light at 10 km/h and blowing out of the southwest but switching southeast later in the evening,” according to an update made to the Woodlands County social media.

“These are crossover conditions, which means that the temperature is higher than the relative humidity. These conditions can create more intense fire behaviour.”

The grassfire-turned-wildfire south of Highway 43 in the West Ridge area began burning Monday afternoon. By that evening, people in the area were told to gather their pets, important documents and medications and leave immediately.

They have since registered at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre in Whitecourt. The wildfire was 3.5 km southeast of the 10,000-person town and thought to be moving away to the east.

Around 10:30 Tuesday morning, Woodlands County told residents the smoke was lying low.

“(The county) understands residents are eager to return home, and we are working toward that as quickly and safely as possible. At this time, we do not anticipate residents returning today,” the statement read.

There was also no update available on power to affected homes.

Municipal firefighters were deployed alongside the provincial crews to form a containment line with heavy equipment. Structure protection is in place to reduce damage to homes and infrastructure.

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